White House Prepared To Meet One-On-One With Iran

The White House says it is prepared to talk one-on-one with Iran to find a diplomatic settlement to the impasse over Tehran's reported pursuit of nuclear weapons, but there's no agreement now to meet.

National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor says President Barack Obama has made clear that he will prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon and will do whatever's necessary to prevent that from happening. Vietor says Iran must come in line with its obligations, or else faced increased pressure.

In a statement Vietor says, "The onus is on the Iranians to do so, otherwise they will continue to face crippling sanctions and increased pressure. " He notes that efforts to get Iran back to the table with the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany -- the so-called "P5+1" -- continue.

Vietor's statement was released shortly after The New York Times reported that the U.S. and Iran have agreed in principle for the first time to negotiations. The paper said Iran has insisted the talks wait until after the Nov. 6 election.

Vietor denies any such agreement had been reached. He says "It's not true that the United States and Iran have agreed to one-on-one talks or any meeting after the American elections."

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)